Perfect Match

October 1, 2014

Young alumnus doubles the impact of scholarship gift.

Each
year thousands of Penn alumni get ready for their reunions by opening
up their yearbooks, dusting off their Quaker regalia, and heading for
Philadelphia. Alex Havenick, C’04, recently took his preparations even
further by endowing an undergraduate scholarship for students in the
College in honor of his tenth reunion.

Alex and Barbara Havenick with sons Jordan, left, and Gavin.

“My friend who was chairing the reunion suggested that I do
it. He said it was important to Penn,” Havenick says. Scholarship gifts
like the Alexander and Barbara Havenick Family Endowed Scholarship truly
are important because they put a life-changing Penn education within
reach of all qualified students regardless of their economic background.

To
make their gift, the Havenicks took advantage of a special challenge
grant available only to scholarship donors who have graduated within the
last ten years. The matching grant provided by the Young Alumni
Scholarship program effectively doubles the value of a scholarship gift
so recent graduates can establish fully endowed named scholarships with
only half the investment required for a traditional scholarship gift. It
is one of several matching grants that are available to help financial
aid donors increase the impact of their giving.

“The match is what
interested me,” Havenick says. “I wanted to maximize my ability to help
Penn. … My closest relationships all stemmed from my time at Penn, and I
feel very indebted,” says the former College economics major. “The
people you meet, the networks you form, the opportunities you
receive—they’re second to none. I don’t know of any place for people
looking to go out into the business world that’s better than Penn.”

Havenick
is Vice President of Operations and General Counsel for the flourishing
Magic City Casino in Miami, Florida, which he helped found four and a
half years ago. Even with an expanding business to manage and two young
sons at home, Havenick still makes Penn a priority. He has interviewed
prospective students in his area, raised funds for his class gift, and
most recently served on the host committee for an alumni event in Miami.
As to why he has stayed so involved, Havenick says, “The University
shaped and influenced a lot of things I’ve done and a lot of paths I’ve
taken in life. I’m very appreciative.”

Generosity to Penn runs
deep in the Havenick family. “My mother [Barbara Hecht Havenick, CW’72]
and father [the late Fred S. Havenick] did a similar scholarship, and it
was an interesting experience,” says Alex Havenick, noting that his
mother enjoys learning about the accomplishments of her scholarship
recipients each year. “I would hope my kids would one day have the same
opportunity and feel the same affinity. … In my opinion, it’s the best
institution in the country.”